Carpet with a Woven Microrelief and Method

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a carpet with woven surface relief, comprising at least a series of tension warps (1), a series of binding warps (2), said warps (1, 2) being interwoven with a series of weft yarns (3), the ratio of the length of said binding warps (2) relative to the length of said tension warps (1) being greater than 1.20, preferably greater than 1.50.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a carpet with woven surface relief andto a method for manufacturing said carpet. In particular, the inventionrelates to a carpet comprising tension and binding yarns which areclamped in such a way that the weft and/or pile warp yarns areemphatically located on the surface of the carpet.

BACKGROUND

Providing specific visual and technical aspects of carpets is animportant challenge in order to be able to provide productdiversification and thus be able to offer a unique product to aconsumer. In addition, certain technical aspects of the carpet surfaceare intended to assist consumers in a technical way.

EP 2 851 459 provides a method for producing a carpet having a wornappearance; comprising the following steps: arranging in one plane thewarp threads next to each other without overlapping them; andinterlacing weft yarns through the warp yarns such that said weftthreads are positioned in consecutive lines and substantiallyperpendicular to said warp threads; the weft threads are repeatedlyinserted in the same line and in a predefined insertion pattern. Saidinsertion model is interrupted at least once so as to leave visible atleast one segment of at least one warp thread.

EP 2 851 460 provides a method for producing a carpet having apatch-work appearance, comprising the steps of: arranging warp threadsin a plane side by side without overlapping; inserting and interlacingweft yarns through said warp yarns such that said weft threads arepositioned in consecutive lines and substantially perpendicular to saidwarp yarns; the weft threads are repeatedly inserted in the same lineand in a predefined insertion pattern. The insertion model isinterrupted at least once to create at least one line of seams on one ofthe surfaces of the carpet.

EP 3 199 678 relates to a carpet with glossy yarns, comprising a fabricwith a series of weft threads, inserted substantially perpendicularlyand interwoven with a series of mainly parallel warp yarns, wherein atleast 0.1% of said weft threads are glossy with a gloss of at least 70gloss units, measured at a 45° angle of incidence according to ASTMD2457, 10% to 40% of the weft yarns of glossy polymers and that 60% to90% of said weft threads comprise one or more natural fibres.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,783 discloses a double pile tufted pile carpet witha backing material having a pre-printed chain with a repetitive colourpattern formed in a higher and lower tufted pile texture pattern withthe last pattern correlated and combined with the repeat shade withcolour pattern, and in which carpet the fibre stack can be either wovenor tufted and wherein the patterns, or one of both, can be repeatedtransversally, longitudinally or both.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,848 shows a technology in which synthetic continuousfilament yarn is woven with a sacrificial filling and thus formed into aprefab, selected portions of the prefabric are dyed, the prefabric isoptionally crimped, either before or after dyeing, the prefabric isimmersed in a dilute solution which, when concentrated will destroy thesacrificial filling, and the prefabric is then conducted through aheating and drying operation, boiling off the water and concentratingthe solution, then substantially completely destroying the sacrificialfilling and freeing the warp yarns as a free warp of intermittentlycoloured yarns.

EP 1 801 272 describes a woven carpet.

However, none of the above documents show how a refined microrelief canbe applied to a carpet. The present invention seeks to provide a carpetwith an accurate, microrelief on the surface of the carpet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To this end the invention provides in a first aspect a carpet with wovensurface relief, comprising at least a series of tension warps (1), aseries of binding warps (2), said warps (1, 2) being interwoven with aseries of weft yarns (3), wherein said carpet comprises an aspect sideand a back side, and wherein a backing layer (6) is adhered to said backside; and wherein the ratio of the length of said binding warps (2) tothe length of said tension warps (1) is greater than 1.20, preferablygreater than 1.35 and more preferably greater than 1.50. By opting for asufficiently high ratio of the length of said binding warps (2) to thelength of said tension warps 2, the weft yarns comprised in the fabricare pressed more emphatically towards the surface of the carpet.

In a second aspect, the invention provides a method for manufacturing acarpet with a woven surface relief, more specifically a carpet accordingto the first aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of:

-   -   providing at least a series of tension warps (1), a series of        binding warps (2) in the warp direction of a weaving frame;    -   interweaving a series of weft yarns (3) with said warps (1, 2),        thereby obtaining a carpet with an aspect side and a back side;    -   bonding a backing layer (6) to said back side;

the preliminary tension on said tension (1) and binding warps (2) beingadjusted so that the ratio of the length of said binding warps (2) tothe length of said tension warps (1) in the manufactured carpet isgreater than 1.20, preferably greater than 1.35 and more preferablygreater than 1.50.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The explicit characteristics, advantages and objectives of the presentinvention will become further apparent to a person skilled in the art towhich the invention pertains after reading the following detaileddescription of the embodiment of the invention and the attached figuresherein. To this end, the figures serve to further illustrate theinvention and are intended for illustration only, without therebylimiting the scope of the invention.

FIGS. 1 to 3 represent a simplified detailed representation of a carpetaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a detailed view of a carpet withindication of warp yarn 1, 2, weft yarn 3 and pile warp yarns 4, whereinthe binding yarn 2 is provided with a greater length compared to thetension yarn 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a detailed view of a carpet withindication of warp yarn 1, 2, and weft yarn 3, wherein the binding yarn2 is provided with a greater length compared to the tension yarn 1.

FIG. 3 shows a carpet according to the embodiment of FIG. 1, wherein oneof the pile warp yarns 5 is provided as a chenille yarn (e.g. apolyester chenille or an acrylic chenille) and/or as a fancy yarn, suchas for example a dyed woollen yarn, a cotton yarn, a polyamide yarn, abouclé or a frisé yarn, etc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the description of theinvention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning ascommonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which theinvention pertains. For a better understanding of the description of theinvention, the following terms are explained explicitly.

In this document, ‘a’ and ‘the’ refer to both the singular and theplural, unless the context presupposes otherwise. For example, ‘asegment’ means one or more segments.

When the term ‘around’ or ‘about’ is used in this document with ameasurable quantity, a parameter, a duration or moment, and the like,then variations are meant of approx. 20% or less, preferably approx. 10%or less, more preferably approx. 5% or less, even more preferablyapprox. 1% or less, and even more preferably approx. 0.1% or less thanand of the quoted value, insofar as such variations are applicable inthe described invention. However, it must be understood that the valueof a quantity used where the term ‘about’ or ‘around’ is used, is itselfspecifically disclosed.

The terms ‘comprise’, ‘comprising’, ‘consist of’, ‘consisting of’,‘provided with’, ‘have’, ‘having’, ‘include’, ‘including’, ‘contain’,‘containing’ are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms that indicatethe presence of what follows, and which do not exclude or prevent thepresence of other components, characteristics, elements, members, steps,as known from or disclosed in the prior art.

Quoting numerical intervals by endpoints includes all integers,fractions and/or real numbers between the endpoints, these endpointsincluded.

The term ‘carpet’ in the context of the present invention specificallyrefers to a woven carpet, wherein the weft yarns are inserted andinterwoven with a series of warp yarns. The repeated passing through ofweft yarns below and above the warp yarns forms an insertion pattern.The insertion pattern can be repeated several times at the level of aweft row. Said first series of warp yarns can be the same or differentfrom said second series of warp yarns. The first series of warp yarnscan comprise 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 yarns. The second series ofwarp yarns can comprise 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 yarns. Thenumber of warp yarns determines the width, length or diameter of thecarpet. The weft yarns are inserted and interwoven over the warp yarnsin rows so that one row starts at the level of the first warp yarn andextends to the last warp yarn. The warp yarns and the weft yarns arearranged in such a way that they are positioned mutually substantiallyperpendicularly to each other. The warp yarns and the weft yarns can beselected from the group comprising, but not limited to: linen, wool,cotton, silk. The weft yarns and the warp yarns can be of different oridentical material. Preferably, said carpet has an area density between500 gsm and 2500 gsm, preferably between 750 gsm and 2250 gsm, morepreferably between 1000 gsm and 2000 gsm and most preferably with anarea density of 1000 gsm, 1050 gsm, 1100 gsm, 1150 gsm, 1200 gsm, 1250gsm, 1300 gsm, 1350 gsm, 1400 gsm, 1450 gsm, 1500 gsm, 1550 gsm, 1600gsm, 1650 gsm, 1700 gsm, 1750 gsm, 1800 gsm, 1850 gsm, 1900 gsm or 1950gsm, or any value in between.

The term ‘tension yarn’ is to be understood as a warp yarn and refers toa yarn provided in the warp direction of the carpet. The tension yarn isgenerally defined in relation to a binding yarn and is distinguishedfrom it by a shorter length compared to the binding yarn. The tensionyarn can be coloured so as to display a colour or a colour pattern onthe surface of the carpet.

The term ‘binding yarn’ is to be understood as a warp yarn and refers toa yarn provided in the warp direction of the carpet. The binding yarn isgenerally defined in relation to a tension yarn and is distinguishedfrom it by a larger length compared to the tension yarn. As a result,the binding yarn is usually clearly visible on the surface. The bindingyarn is preferably not coloured because said binding yarns are not oronly slightly visually perceptible and therefore do not contribute orcontribute little to the visual result.

The term ‘weft yarn’ is to be understood as being transverselyinterwoven with the warp yarns and refers to a yarn provided in the weftdirection of the carpet. The weft yarn is usually interwoven single ormultiple between warp yarns. This means that one or more (for exampletwo, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, etc.) weft yarns can beinserted in one stroke between the warps. A ‘stroke’ is to be understoodas a single processing step in which one or more weft yarns areintroduced between the series of transversely arranged warp yarns. Afterthe ‘stroke’, the warp yarns are brought into a new, generally differentposition, and a new stroke is carried out. Consequently, the weft yarnis generally well visible on the surface. The weft yarn is preferablycoloured so as to display a clearly discernible colour or colour patternon the surface of the carpet. In the context of the present invention,the ‘length density’ of the weft yarn should be understood as the lengthdensity of the whole of the one or more weft yarns woven in in a singleweft.

The term ‘pile yarn’ is to be understood as a synonym of the term ‘pilewarp yarn’ and refers to a yarn provided in the warp direction of thecarpet. The pile yarn generally has a larger diameter than the warp yarnand is therefore especially suited for appearing on the surface of thecarpet. Consequently, the pile yarn is preferably coloured so as todisplay a colour or a colour pattern on the surface of the carpet. In apreferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpet accordingto the first aspect, wherein said pile warp yarn is provided with alarger diameter than the warp yarn, expressed in Nm and/or expressed indtex. Preferably, said pile warp yarn is provided with a thicknessbetween 1.5 Nm and 6 Nm and between 1600 dtex and 6600 dtex.

The term ‘spacedye pattern’ is to be understood as a random pattern oftwo or more colours, which are alternately dominantly applied to a yarn.The present invention furthermore succeeds in simulating a spacedyepattern by using different warp and/or weft yarns, which appear on thesurface of the carpet randomly alternately.

To this end the invention provides in a first aspect a carpet with wovensurface relief, comprising at least a series of tension warps (1), aseries of binding warps (2), said warps (1, 2) being interwoven with aseries of weft yarns (3), wherein said carpet comprises an aspect sideand a back side, and wherein a backing layer is adhered to said backside; and wherein the ratio of the length of said binding warps 2 to thelength of said tension warps 1 is greater than 1.20, preferably greaterthan 1.35 and more preferably greater than 1.50. In a preferredembodiment, the present invention provides a carpet according to thefirst aspect of the invention, wherein the ratio of the length of saidtension warps (1) to the length of said binding warps (2) is greaterthan 1.60, greater than 1.70, greater than 1.80, greater than 1.90, andeven greater than 2.0.

By opting for a sufficiently high ratio of the length of said bindingwarps (2) to the length of said tension warps (1), the weft yarnscomprised in the fabric are pressed more emphatically towards thesurface of the carpet. A microrelief is thus created on the surface as aresult of the weaving process. By applying different warp yarns with adifferent visual aspect (e.g. colour), a unique relief and colour shadeis observed, which simulates a spacedye pattern. By additionallyapplying a spacedye-type warp and/or weft yarn, a unique relief andcolour shade are observed. A unique product can thus be created for aconsumer.

This is shown schematically in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematicrepresentation of a detailed view of a section of the carpet accordingto the invention perpendicular to the weft direction. FIG. 1 is aschematic representation of a detailed view of a carpet with indicationof warp yarn 1, 2, weft yarn 3 and pile warp yarns 4, wherein thebinding yarn 2 is provided with a greater length compared to the tensionyarn 1. Thus, the weft yarns 3 are pushed to the surface, and amicrorelief is created. A rougher surface is obtained by thismicrorelief.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a detailed view of a carpet withindication of warp yarn 1, 2, and weft yarn 3, wherein the binding yarn2 is provided with a greater length compared to the tension yarn 1. Amicrorelief is obtained by the carpet according to FIG. 2.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said carpetcomprises at least one weft yarn which weft yarn is an effect yarn 31,such as, for example, a chenille yarn, (e.g. a polyester chenille or anacrylic chenille) and/or a fancy yarn, such as, for example, a dyedwoollen yarn, a cotton yarn, a polyamide yarn, a bouclé and/or a friséyarn, etc. The weft yarn 31 is provided in the carpet such that the weftyarn 31 (FIG. 1) appears on the surface of the carpet. Still preferably,the present invention provides a carpet according to the first aspect ofthe invention, wherein said carpet comprises at least one weft yarnwhich weft yarn is not an effect yarn, such as weft yarn 32, such as,for example, but not limited to, a cotton or jute yarn. The weft yarn 32is provided in the carpet such that the weft yarn 32 (FIG. 1) does notappear on the surface of the carpet.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the ratio of thelength of said tension warps (1) to the length of said binding warps (2)is greater than 2.00, greater than 2.25, greater than 2.50, greater than2.75, greater than 3.00. A sufficiently large ratio ensures that theweft yarns are sufficiently pressed onto the surface of the carpet.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the ratio of thelength of said tension warps (1) to the length of said binding warps (2)is smaller than 5.0, preferably smaller than 4.75, is smaller than 4.50,is smaller than 4.25, and even smaller than 3.75. By choosing the ratioequal to or less than 5, said weft yarns come to lie closer to eachother on the surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said series ofweft yarns (3) have a greater length density than said series of bindingwarps (2). By a sufficiently large thickness of the weft yarn, a rougherappearance of the surface of the carpet is obtained. In a more preferredembodiment, the present invention provides a carpet according to thefirst aspect of the invention, wherein the ratio of the length densityof said weft yarns (3) to the length density of said binding warps (2)is greater than 1.5, preferably greater than 2.0.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, further comprising asecond series of tension warps. Such a second set of tension warps canbe inserted to further refine the visual aspect of the carpet. Saidsecond series of tension warps can be inserted with a length where theratio of the length of said binding warps (2) to the length of saidtension warps (1) is also greater than 1.20, preferably greater than1.35 and more preferably greater than 1.50 and is even greater than1.60, greater than 1.70, greater than 1.80, greater than 1.90, and evengreater than 2.0.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said carpetcomprises an aspect side and a back side, and wherein said back side isprovided with a backing layer comprising a nonwoven, a knit or a fabric.Said backing layer is intended to provide a better dimensional stabilityof the carpet. Preferably, said backing layer is a nonwoven with aspecific surface weight greater than 100 gsm, greater than 150 gsm,greater than 175 gsm, greater than 200 gsm, greater than 225 gsm or evengreater than 250 gsm. More preferably, said backing layer is a nonwovenwith a specific surface weight greater than 300 gsm, greater than 350gsm, greater than 400 gsm, greater than 450 gsm, greater than 500 gsm,greater than 550 gsm, greater than 600 gsm, and even greater than 650gsm. Preferably, said backing layer is a nonwoven with a specificsurface weight of less than 1500 gsm and preferably less than 1200 gsmand even less than 800 gsm. Such a backing layer provides sufficientcomfort, stability and sound insulation.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said backinglayer (6), preferably said nonwoven, is bonded by means of an adhesive(7) and/or a latex (7), wherein said adhesive is preferably selectedfrom e.g. polyvinyl acetate and ethylene vinyl acetate and wherein saidlatex is selected from e.g. carboxylated styrene-butadiene latexcomprising calcium carbonate. Preferably, said adhesive and/or latexhave an area density between 500 gsm and 2000 gsm, preferably between750 gsm and 1750 gsm, more preferably between 800 gsm and 1600 gsm andmost preferably with an area density of 800 gsm, 850 gsm, 900 gsm, 950gsm, 1000 gsm, 1050 gsm, 1100 gsm, 1150 gsm, 1200 gsm, 1250 gsm, 1300gsm, 1350 gsm, 1400 gsm, 1450 gsm, 1500 gsm, 1550 gsm or 1600 gsm, orany value in between.

In a more preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said backinglayer is comprised of a nonwoven made of PET, polyester orpolypropylene.

In a more preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein one or more ofthe aforementioned warp and/or weft yarns are provided with a spacedyepattern.

The spacedye pattern is a random pattern of two or more colours, whichare alternately applied dominantly to a yarn, in the above-mentionedcase to said warp and/or weft yarns. Thus, said warp and/or weft yarnsare provided with a sequence of sections of arbitrary length, eachsection being characterised by a dominant colour. The pile warp yarn 4,5 is hereby considered as a specific type of warp yarns, since pile warpyarns 4, 5 are provided in the warp direction of the woven carpet.

The detailed representation of FIG. 1 shows the warp yarns 1, 2, weftyarns 3 and pile warp yarns 4, said pile warp yarns 4 being providedwith a spacedye pattern. This is made visible in FIG. 1 on the basis ofthe different, successive sections of the two pile warp yarns 4 shown,each section being provided with a different hatching type. Eachhatching type corresponds to a specific colour, or rather, to a specificdominant colour. This means that the intensity of a colour can also varywithin one colour section of a spacedye pattern. Also shown in FIG. 1 isthe alternating pattern of pile warp yarn that appears at the top of thesurface of the carpet. For example, the rough-hatched pile warp yarn isvisible on the surface in the left of the figure, followed by a sectionin which the pile warp yarn with fine-hatched pile warp yarn is visibleat the top of the surface. Another aspect of the invention which isexpressed in the figure is the different length of the first 1 and thesecond 2 warp yarn. The second warp yarn is longer in length than thefirst warp yarn. This is due to the different tension on the respectivewarp yarns during the tensioning in the weaving frame. The result isthat the weft yarns 3, which are shown across the width of thecross-section at the top of the figure, are pulled into the carpet. Theweft yarns 3 thus partly ensure that the pile warp yarns 4 are revealedon the surface of the carpet. A further aspect illustrated by FIG. 1 isthat the pile warp yarn 4 is wider in thickness than the warp yarn 1, 2.Partly as a result of this, the pile warp yarn 4 comes to lie better onthe surface of the woven carpet. As a result, the colour shade is betterexpressed, since the colour shade is more visible on a relatively thickyarn than the same colour shade on a relatively thin yarn.

Because the warp yarns with colour shade are at least partially visibleon the surface of the carpet, a unique colour shade is observed. Aunique product can thus be created for a consumer. At the same time, agreat diversity within a predetermined product category is achievedwithout increasing the required storage space. Moreover, the inventionis advantageous with regard to the use of dyes. Dyes are relativelyexpensive components and their use in carpets should therefore belimited. By placing the spacedye pattern in separate sections of asingle dye layer on the yarn as opposed to several dye layers inparticular sections, the total consumption of dyes can be limited.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein one or more pilewarp yarns are provided with a spacedye pattern. The colour shadebecomes especially evident in the carpet obtained when the spacedyepattern is incorporated into the pile warp yarns. The pile warp yarnsgenerally have a thicker cross-section than other warp yarns and areintroduced into the carpet with a lower warp tension, whereby the lengthof the pile warp yarn in the carpet is greater than the length of anadjacent warp yarn.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the thickness ofat least one pile warp yarn is at least 1.15 times and preferably atleast 1.30 times greater than the thickness of at least one warp yarn.

The thickness of the pile warp yarn can be expressed on the basis of thedtex value, but preferably on the basis of the diameter of thecross-section of the yarn at rest. Pile warp yarns can be selected fromthe group comprising: chenille yarn such as cotton chenille 2.2 Nm;woollen yarn such as wool 6/2 Nm. Such yarns have the advantage thatthey are bulky and are well suited for maintaining the colour featuresafter dyeing.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, comprising a pluralityof pile warp yarns, wherein at least one pile warp yarn is comprised ofwool and at least one pile warp yarn is comprised of chenille.

A chenille yarn is to be understood as a yarn comprising a centralthread, also known as the ‘core’ of the yarn in technical jargon, whichcentral thread preferably comprises 2, 3 or 4 threads. A multitude oflateral fabric particles are provided around the central thread, whichensure the large volume of the chenille yarn at low density. Because ofthis large volume at low density of the chenille yarn, the chenille yarnautomatically comes to lie on the surface of the carpet during weaving.This makes the colour patterns in the chenille yarn clearly visible onthe surface. Because a chenille yarn has a relatively low density, thetotal weight of the carpet is limited, which is advantageous duringtransport and installation.

Such an embodiment is shown schematically in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is aschematic representation of a detailed view of a carpet according to theembodiment of FIG. 1, wherein one of the pile warp yarns is provided asa chenille yarn, 5 (e.g. a polyester chenille or an acrylic chenille)and/or as a fancy yarn, such as for example a dyed woollen yarn, acotton yarn, a polyamide yarn, a bouclé or a frisé yarn, etc. This isillustrated by means of the cross hatching over the entire yarn. Thevarying thickness of the cross hatching indicates a varying colour, orrather, a varying dominant colour in a particular section of thechenille yarn, 5.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the ratio of thenumber of pile warp yarns made of wool to the number of pile warp yarnsmade of chenille is 3:1.

This offers the advantage that an optimum of product features isachieved. Wool exhibits good wear resistance and durability as well as arelatively good natural elasticity and a good absorption capacity fordyes. At the same time, wool forms a good bulk or volume, which volumeallows the woollen pile warp yarn to come to the surface, as describedearlier. More than the woollen yarn, the chenille yarn is suitable forproviding a relatively large volume and therefore also for displayingcolours. Although any other ratio is possible, the inventors found anoptimum ratio of woollen pile warp yarns to chenille pile warp yarnsbetween 10:1 and 1:2 and more preferably between 5:1 and 1:1 and evenmore preferably at 4:1, 3:1 or 2:1, or any ratio in between.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein at least onewoollen pile warp yarn and at least one chenille pile warp yarn appearalternately on the surface.

This offers the advantage that a greater variation in shade can beprovided in the carpet. The alternation in the floating of woollen pilewarp yarn and chenille pile warp yarn can be introduced by providing awoollen and a chenille pile warp yarn between two consecutive teeth of aweaving comb.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said firstseries of warp yarns and said second series of warp yarns are providedwith a different length.

This can be achieved by tensioning said first and said second series ofwarp yarns in the weaving frame with a different tension. As a result, afirst series of warp yarns will be comprised in the carpet relativelylinearly, such as, for example, warp yarns 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2. A secondseries of warp yarns, which are provided with a greater length and alower tension in the woven carpet, will be pushed away from the centreof the carpet by the weft yarn, such as, for example, warp yarn 2 inFIGS. 1 and 2. The result is that the longer warp yarn, e.g. 2, willbring the weft yarns, e.g. 3, to the centre of the carpet in regularplaces. The weft yarns, e.g. 3, in turn push the pile warp yarns, e.g.4, 5, to the centre of the carpet. As a result, the intermediatecut-offs of the pile warp yarn, e.g. 4, 5, are pushed out.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, wherein at least onepile warp yarn is longer than at least one warp yarn.

This can be achieved by weaving the pile warp yarn with a lower tensionor even tension-free into the carpet. The result is that the warp yarnensures that the weft yarns are pressed towards the centre of thecarpet, whereby the pile warp yarns are brought through the weft yarnsat regular places to the centre of the carpet, so as to press theintermediate sections of the pile warp yarn to the outside. This makesthe colour shade in the pile warp yarn optimally visible on the surfaceof the carpet.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a carpetaccording to the first aspect of the invention, comprising two or morepile warp yarns which are different from each other. By opting formutually different pile warp yarns, the features of the carpet can befurther optimised, both with regard to the variation in the colour shadeand features such as density, wear resistance, etc.

In a second aspect, the invention provides a method for manufacturing acarpet with a woven surface relief, more specifically a carpet accordingto the first aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of:

-   -   providing at least a series of tension warps (1), a series of        binding warps (2) in the warp direction of a weaving frame;    -   interweaving a series of weft yarns (3) with said warps (1, 2),        thereby obtaining a carpet with an aspect side and a back side;    -   bonding a backing layer to said back side;

the preliminary tension on said tension (1) and binding warps (2) beingadjusted so that the ratio of the length of said binding warps (2) tothe length of said tension warps (1) in the manufactured carpet isgreater than 1.20, preferably greater than 1.35 and more preferablygreater than 1.50. In a preferred embodiment, the present inventionprovides a method according to the second aspect of the invention,wherein the preliminary tension on said tension (1) and binding warps(2) is adjusted so that the ratio of the length of said tension warps(1) to the length of said binding warps (2) is greater than 1.60,greater than 1.70, greater than 1.80, greater than 1.90, and evengreater than 2.00.

The method according to the second aspect of the invention is providedfor manufacturing a carpet according to the first aspect of theinvention, and the characteristics of the carpet according to the firstaspect of the invention therefore apply to the method according to thesecond aspect of the invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, wherein said series ofweft yarns (3) are provided with a greater length density than saidseries of binding warps (2).

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the ratio ofthe length density of said weft yarns (3) to the length density of saidbinding warps (2) is greater than 1.5, preferably greater than 2.0.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, further comprising thestep of providing a second series of tension warps.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, further comprising thestep of applying a backing layer comprising a synthetic foam layer, anonwoven, a knit or a fabric on a back side of said carpet. In a morepreferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method accordingto the second aspect of the invention, wherein said backing layer iscomprised of nonwoven made of PET, polyester or polypropylene.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, wherein one or more ofsaid warp yarns are dyed in advance in a spacedye pattern. By applyingsaid spacedye pattern to the aforementioned warp yarns, a colour shadebecomes visible on the surface of the carpet. The spacedye patternprovided on the warp yarn provides a random alternation of colours onthe visible surface of the carpet and thus results in a unique carpet.As a result, a great diversity within a certain product category isobtained without thereby increasing the required storage space.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, wherein said warp yarnsand/or pile warp yarns are arranged in a warp comb with a series ofteeth and wherein at least two warp yarns and/or pile warp yarns arearranged between two teeth of said warp comb.

By introducing at least one warp yarn and/or pile warp yarn between twosuccessive teeth of a weaving comb in a weaving frame, the at least twosaid warp and/or pile warp yarn can appear randomly alternately on thesurface of the carpet during the weaving of the carpet. This offers theadvantage that a greater variation in colour shade can be provided inthe carpet, as well as a greater variation in texture of the surface ofthe carpet. For example, warp and/or pile warp yarn with differentdensities, roughness, gloss, etc. can be provided and thus lead to avariation in perception by the user.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, wherein one or more ofsaid warp yarns are dyed in advance in a spacedye pattern by means ofspraying atomised dye at various locations of said warp yarns.

Atomising a dye on the warp yarns offers the advantage that the dryingprocess for the coloured yarns is relatively limited in comparison withother colouring techniques. Various sections of said warp yarns can thusbe provided with a colour, or rather, with a dominant colour. Theadjacent sections can be provided with a different colour or can beprovided without colour. The sections can also be coloured in differentlengths. According to the prior art, a spacedye pattern is applied byfirst applying a first dye layer to the entire yarn; then a second dyelayer on particular sections; and finally a third dye layer onparticular parts of the second dye layer. Thus, some sections areprovided with two or more dyes. According to the invention,predetermined sections are provided with a first dye; other sectionswith a second dye; etc. In this way, the yarn is provided with mainlyonly one dye layer, which entails a major limitation of dyes andtherefore a considerable cost reduction.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a methodaccording to the second aspect of the invention, wherein said first andsecond series of warp yarns are provided with different tension in saidweaving frame.

By providing said first and second series of warp yarns with differenttension, a first series of warp yarns with a higher tension compared tosaid second series of warp yarns, are included relatively linearly inthe carpet, such as, for example, warp yarns 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Asecond series of warp yarns, which are brought with a greater length anda lower tension into the woven carpet, will be pushed away from thecentre of the carpet by the weft yarn, such as, for example, warp yarn 2in FIGS. 1 and 2. The result is that the longer warp yarn will bring theweft yarns to the centre of the carpet in regular places. The weft yarnsin turn push the pile warp yarns to the centre of the carpet. As aresult, the intermediate cut-offs of the pile warp yarn are pushed out,which provides a better visibility of the spacedye pattern on said pilewarp yarns on the surface of the carpet.

Example 1

A fabric is formed by means of a binding warp, a tension warp and a weftyarn. The binding warp is provided in a 12/3Ne Co/PES 50/50 with adensity of 7.4 threads per cm. The tension warp is provided in a 10/4NeCo/PES 50/50 with a density of 3.7 threads per cm. The weft warp isprovided in wool 2.2/3 Nm with a density of 5.5 wefts per cm. The fabricis provided with a surface weight of 1600 gsm.

The fabric is then provided with a latex precoat based on polyvinylacetate and ethylene vinyl acetate with a dry substance content of45-51% by weight and a pH between 4 and 7. The adhesive for laminatingthe backing layer is an aqueous dispersion based on carboxylatedstyrene-butadiene latex with calcium carbonate filler with a drysubstance content of about 75-80% by weight. The backing layer iscomprised of 100% PET nonwoven and is provided with a surface density of675 gsm with a thickness of 4 mm. The surface weight of said adhesivewith latex is 915 gsm.

Example 2

A fabric is formed by means of a binding warp, a tension warp, a pilewarp yarn and a weft yarn. The binding warp is provided in a 12/3NeCo/PES 50/50 with a density of 7.4 threads per cm. The tension warp isprovided in a 10/4Ne Co/PES 50/50 with a density of 3.7 threads per cm.The pile warp yarn is provided in a 6/2 Nm wool. The weft yarn isprovided in polyamide chenille 2.2 Nm with a density of 5.5 wefts percm. The fabric is provided with a surface weight of 1070 gsm.

The fabric is then provided with a latex precoat based on polyvinylacetate and ethylene vinyl acetate with a dry substance content of45-51% by weight and a pH between 4 and 7. The adhesive for laminatingthe backing layer is an aqueous dispersion based on carboxylatedstyrene-butadiene latex with calcium carbonate filler with a drysubstance content of about 75-80% by weight. The backing layer iscomprised of 100% PET nonwoven and is provided with a surface density of675 gsm with a thickness of 4 mm. The surface weight of said adhesivewith latex is 1215 gsm.

1. Carpet with woven surface relief, comprising at least a series oftension warps (1), a series of binding warps (2), said warps (1, 2)being interwoven with a series of weft yarns (3), wherein said carpetcomprises an aspect side and a back side, and wherein a backing layer(6) is adhered to said back side, characterised in that the ratio of thelength of said binding warps (2) to the length of said tension warps (1)is greater than 1.50.
 2. Carpet according to claim 1, further comprisinga second series of tension warps and/or pile warp yarns.
 3. Carpetaccording to claim 1, wherein said carpet comprises at least one weftyarn (31) which weft yarn is an effect yarn (31), selected from thegroup comprising a polyester chenille yarn, acrylic chenille yarn and/ora fancy yarn, selected from the group comprising a woollen yarn, acotton yarn, a polyamide yarn, a bouclé and/or a frisé yarn.
 4. Carpetaccording to claim 1, wherein said carpet comprises at least one weftyarn (32), which weft yarn is not an effect yarn, selected from thegroup comprising cotton and a jute yarn.
 5. Carpet according to claim 1,wherein the ratio of the length of said tension warps (1) to the lengthof said binding warps (2) is greater than 1.60 and preferably greaterthan 1.70.
 6. Carpet according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of thelength of said tension warps (1) to the length of said binding warps (2)is less than 5.0 and preferably is less than 4.0.
 7. Carpet according toclaim 1, wherein said series of weft yarns (3) have a greater lengthdensity than said series of binding warps (2).
 8. Carpet according toclaim 7, wherein the ratio of the length density of said weft yarns (3)to the length density of said binding warps (2) is greater than 1.5,preferably greater than 2.0.
 9. Carpet according to claim 1, whereinsaid backing layer (6) is comprised of a nonwoven, a knit or a fabric.10. Carpet according to claim 9, wherein said backing layer (6) iscomprised of a nonwoven made of PET, polyester or polypropylene. 11.Carpet according to claim 1, comprising pile warp yarns (4, 5), whereinone or more pile warp yarns (4, 5) are provided with a spacedye pattern.12. Carpet according to claim 1, comprising pile warp yarns (4, 5),wherein the thickness of at least one pile warp yarn (4, 5) is at least1.15 times and preferably at least 1.30 times greater than the thicknessof at least one warp yarn (1, 2).
 13. Carpet according to claim 1,comprising pile warp yarns (4, 5), wherein at least one pile warp yarn(4, 5) is comprised of wool and at least one pile warp yarn (4, 5) iscomprised of chenille.
 14. Carpet according to claim 13, wherein theratio of the number of pile warp yarns (4, 5) made of wool to the numberof pile warp yarns (4, 5) made of chenille is between 5:1 and 1:1. 15.Carpet according to claim 13, wherein at least one woollen pile warpyarn (4, 5) and at least one chenille pile warp yarn (5) appearalternately on the surface.
 16. Carpet according to claim 1, comprisingtwo or more pile warp yarns (4, 5) which are different from each other.17. Method for manufacturing a carpet with woven surface relief,comprising the steps of: providing at least a series of tension warps(1), a series of binding warps (2) in the warp direction of a weavingframe; interweaving a series of weft yarns (3) with said warps (1, 2),thereby obtaining a carpet with an aspect side and a back side; bondinga backing layer (6) to said back side; characterised in that thepreliminary tension on said tension (1) and binding warps (2) beingadjusted so that the ratio of the length of said binding warps (2) tothe length of said tension warps (1) in the manufactured carpet isgreater than 1.50, preferably greater than 1.60.
 18. Method according toclaim 17, wherein the ratio of the length density of said weft yarns (3)to the length density of said binding warps (2) is greater than 1.5,preferably greater than 2.0.
 19. Method according to claim 17, furthercomprising the step of applying a backing layer (6) comprised of asynthetic foam, a nonwoven, a knit or a fabric on a back side of saidcarpet.
 20. Method according to claim 17, wherein said warp yarns (1, 2)and/or pile warp yarns (4, 5) are arranged in a warp comb with a seriesof teeth and wherein at least two warp yarns (1, 2) and/or pile warpyarns (4, 5) are arranged between two teeth of said warp comb. 21.Method according to claim 20, wherein one or more warp yarns (1, 2)and/or pile warp yarns (4, 5) are dyed in advance in a spacedye pattern.